Shred Belly Fat with This “Metabolic Complex”

When it comes to getting lean, there are no shortcuts. You have to do the work. But there are ways to get better results in less time.

David Jack, creator ofThe Men's Health 60-Day Transformation, has found your edge: upside-down complexes. “Requiring only a light pair of dumbbells and a few feet of floor space, this training technique works a ton of muscle mass, shakes up a stale routine, and saves time,” says Jack.

That's a nice way of saying that it kicks your ass. But not just for the sake of it. You’ll work harder and faster while still being able to sustain a high-intensity effort that trains every muscle, blast serious calories, and supercharges your metabolism. Plus, it'll give you a cardio workout that'll make a typical treadmill routine seem like a cake walk.

Upside-down complexes work like this: You’ll perform a five-move standard complex, doing eight reps of one exercise before moving on to the next exercise in the complex. Unlike a standard complex, however, once you finish the five moves, you’re not done. Now you have to perform the entire complex again—only this time you’ll start with the fifth move, and work your way down to the first move.

This type of training deprives your working muscles of oxygen, causing what’s called metabolic stress. The result is an anabolic effect that leads to faster muscle growth, according to research published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning. And since you’re not resting between exercises, your heart rate stays elevated the entire time. Like we said, it’s an ass-kicking (but in a good way). Watch the video above to learn how to perform an upside-down complex.

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